Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush was fired on Monday for meeting last week with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in Rome. The event, which had been billed as historic, created an uproar in Tripoli and a diplomatic debacle in Jerusalem.
At issue was not the meeting itself, which was held in secret, but a decision by Cohen on Sunday evening to publicize that they had held a face-to-face conversation with an eye toward normalizing ties between the two nations, which have no diplomatic relations.
Mangoush was forced to flee to Turkey to escape public ire.
Frustration that Israel publicized a clandestine meeting
The United States, which had worked behind the scenes to strengthen ties between the two countries, was reportedly frustrated with Cohen for publicizing the meeting.
US Embassy in Jerusalem Chargé d’Affaires Stephanie Hallett brought the matter up in a meeting with Cohen on Monday in the Foreign Ministry, telling him to find a way to “calm things down,” according to a diplomatic source.
Cohen came under attack amid concern that the premature publication of such a meeting would impact Israel’s ability to work behind the scenes, as it has been doing, to advance efforts to normalize ties with other Arab countries.
Israel said it had an agreement with the Libyan government to publish details of the meeting, adding that no date had been set for such a release.
It decided to send information about the meeting to the media on Sunday evening after it understood that the story had already been leaked. Israel said it had notified the Libyans that it would be releasing the information.
The meeting that took place last week in Rome was facilitated by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. It lasted for over an hour and included discussions on cooperation in a wide array of arenas, including agriculture and water technology.
“Libya has an interest in relations with Israel as it advances relations with the West,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Mangoush’s office said Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah had approved the meeting, adding that Mangoush had documents to prove it, Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news channel reported. Mangoush’s office said Mangoush would not allow herself to be made into a scapegoat for the matter, the report said.
Dbeibah has been positive toward rapprochement with Israel, but in light of the violent public streets, he distanced himself from the issue and fired Mangoush.
A Libyan official said Dbeibah had asked Italy to arrange the meeting in the hopes of gaining stronger US and other international backing for his interim government.
“The government is afraid that international support will get weaker and disappear,” the official said.
A diplomatic source in Italy said Libya’s and Israel’s foreign ministries had been in contact “for some time” before the meeting, without Italy’s involvement, but that the two had asked for Italy’s help in providing a location to meet.
Libya’s Foreign Ministry had initially reported that Mangoush’s meeting with Cohen was unplanned and informal in an attempt to dampen the public outcry.
To show that he supported the Palestinian cause, Dbeibah visited the Palestinian Embassy in Tripoli, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The dispute over the meeting has fed into Libya’s internal political crisis, giving ammunition to Dbeibah’s internal critics at a moment when the future of his interim government is already in question.
Libya has been without a stable central government since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Dbeibah’s interim government, which has been in office since 2021, is not recognized by some major factions, and there is growing political momentum to replace it with a new unified administration and to hold national elections.
Protesters demonstrated in front of Libya’s Foreign Ministry late on Sunday, causing some damage outside the building, where a large security presence was visible early on Monday. Protests took place in other parts of Tripoli and other cities.
Burning tires blocked some major roads in Tripoli on Monday, and the Palestinian flag was raised in central Benghazi, but there was no sign of violence.
Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity (GNU), which was installed through a UN-backed process, has pushed for stronger ties with all countries involved in Libya, including the UAE and Israel’s main ally, the US.
Libya’s parliament is based in the east, which rejects the GNU, on Sunday said it would hold hearings about the meeting with the Israeli minister. The Tripoli-based Presidency Council has asked Dbeibah for clarification about the meeting, and the High State Council, another important body, condemned it.
After fighting in Tripoli this month, many Libyans will be watching whether armed factions opposed to Dbeibah use the dispute as a pretext to move against him.
Diplomacy has focused on national elections to resolve the internal conflict. Last week, the UN envoy to Libya said a new unified government was needed for a vote to take place, raising questions about international backing for Dbeibah.
Italy has a small military contingent in Libya, oil and gas contracts in the country, and an interest in stemming migration from Libya to its shores.